What a difference a sequel makes. The original Austin Powers film was just a small budget studio production that had little marketing done for it. The film then did moderate business at the box office. But months later it caught the attention of the kids who bought the DVD and VHS (back in the day) copy of Austin Powers in droves and the little film became the beginning of a franchise when they immediately green-lighted the sequel. Austin Powers 2 was a gigantic hit and three years later everyone was heavily anticipating Austin Powers 3.

Go back and watch the original Austin Powers and then watch Austin Powers 3 right after. It has many of the same actors and characters, but other than that the two movies are night and day. The overall tone is much faster paced and the sets and production value are much larger and more profound. And I'm sure Mike Myers paycheck for the two films was night and day too.

In the first 10 minutes of Austin Powers 3, there are cameo appearances by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones and finally Britney Spears in an Austin/Spears dance off. At the time (and perhaps still now) these were the top power people in Hollywood. Amazing stuff if you think that just 6 years ago Mike Myers couldn't even get a one line role in any of those people's films. In Hollywood things can go up and down very quickly.

The beginning of Austin Powers 3 is such a blast of eye candy, you don't really know what hits you. But all you know is that this is going to be an entertaining ride of comedy.

Just like Austin Powers 2, the plot of Austin Powers 3 is silly and really pointless to even think about. Telling jokes and showing attractive woman with little clothing on is the only focus, and we get tons of jokes and tons of attractive woman to look at. The Austin girl in this film is Beyonce Knowles, making her acting debut. Beyonce is perhaps the most beautiful woman in the world and she definitely has screen presence, so why not, let's make her a lead in this film. And all Beyonce had to do was was react to the comedy performances that was going on around her and then get the hell out of the way. There is no character development with her role and her only purpose is to be 'Foxy' Cleopatra, the woman who looks good no matter what hair style (17 in the film) she was wearing. Straight hair, Afro hair, long hair, short hair, braided hair.......it didn't matter.

Mike Myers decides to play another character in the Austin Powers 3 too. I guess he got bored playing Austin, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard, so he gave himself another role with Goldmember, the evil guy who for some reason has a good 'member'. At a first glance, it looked like Myers was just having a whole lot of fun, but the guy I'm sure has spent 1/8th of his life in the makeup chair during the making of the Austin Powers films. Plus, he's the writer and producer of the movie who is also in every single scene. Put it all together and this is an extremely hard working man.

Michael Caine almost steals the movie playing Austin Power's (and someone else's) father who is a tad narcissistic. Austin believes his father didn't love him (told to us in an Austin sing-a-long) and the journey of this film is to gain his daddy's respect.

If you look at all of the movie and TV show reviews on this website from the 2000s decade, you'll notice a similar pattern of themes: Daddy and Mommy issues. We all have them and this decade has given us many stories about it. And we even get it in Austin Powers 3.

Austin Powers is at his most insecure in this film as his "Yeah Baby" sayings aren't as energetic as in the past. Perhaps it's because they were trying to give Austin a true emotional character arc in this film or perhaps (and more probably) Mike Myers was just plain tired and overworked, so he couldn't give them their true "Yeah Baby" pitches of excitement.

What's the purpose of Austin Powers 3? To make us laugh and giggle like school girls. The world Myers created and Jay Roach directed is an entertaining world. They said that this was going to be the end of the series with the 3rd installment, but now things have changed because Mike Myers needs another hit after his bomb, The Love Guru. So we'll get an Austin Powers 4, but what will the story be? Dr. Evil and Austin Powers teaming up to take down their son/nephew who is the new Dr. Evil? Will Mike Myers attempt to go female and also play the femme fatale too? I guess we'll have to stay tuned.

After watching 6 of Mike Myer's films in a span of two weeks, I must admit that this is one talented individual. I used to work at a job for a Potato chip company and I had to go to the city of Scarborough, Ontario every day and I always drove past Mike Myers Blvd., the street named after him in the town he was born and raised in. I always wondered how this guy got his own street. Now I know why.